I am often asked the same question from managers … Do you know any estimators, customer service representatives, technicians, etc. It appears that many owners and managers struggle with the same “problem” – They are always looking for GOOD staff and are not able to find ANYONE available in the industry.
The bottom line is EVERYONE is having the same challenges. Apparently there just is not enough staff in the industry with experience. Then I ask you … why are we constantly looking “within” the industry? So what is the answer? Find someone with the right attitude and skill sets and TRAIN THEM!
How do you effectively train someone to do what you need them to? After both personally training thousands of students, studying how professors teach in schools and confirming my theory’s with other professional trainers within our industry; I have concluded that the process is as simple as 4 easy steps:
- Show them what to do (Explain & Train)
- Do it with them (Coach them)
- Let them do it by themselves (Watch and Assess)
- Test them / ask them questions (Verify that they have understood)
So then the only question that is left is who should train them? The obvious answer would be whoever already has the skill sets for the position that you are trying to train. If you have someone internally that already has the skill set for the position that you are looking for then they can follow the steps above OR they can assist you with accomplishing the steps above.
Did you know that various recruiting companies have reported that the cost of a bad hire is two and a half to three times the employee’s salary ~ Therefore, if you do not have someone internally AND / OR you do not have the time to train a new staff member … then you should really consider hiring someone to train them for you ~ It will be a great deal cheaper than hiring multiple people in order to “try and find the right one”!